Nexus S (Crespo/Soju) - 3/8 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Dec

Google Employees Are Receiving Ice Cream Sandwich OTAs On Their Nexus S Phones - Dogfooding Has Begun

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Samsung

Google has started the dogfooding process of testing the Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" update for the Nexus S, according to one of Google employees Adel Saoud. Dogfooding is a practice of having company employees use products before releasing them to the public ("eat your own dog food" in this sense apparently originated in Microsoft back in 1988), thus weeding out bugs while the products are still revolving in a relatively contained environment.

The tweets and Google+ posts are now deleted, but thanks to several screenshots, re-shares, and caches, we can reconstruct these 2 messages that were posted by Adel:

Just got Ice-cream Sandwich update on my Nexus S & it's looking great :)

and

Yeah an OTA, but it's an early one for Google employees so we test it further so it's even more awesome when you guys get it.

Oct

[Deal Alert] Nexus S Available For $299.99 From Mobile Daily Steals With International Warranty

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Deals, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju)

For those unable to wait on the Galaxy Nexus, Samsung's Nexus S can still hold up against the competition in many ways. It may only pack a single-core processor, but it's a Nexus phone, meaning it is still one of Google's flagship Android devices, and will have active development and timely updates for a while yet. If you've been patiently waiting for your shot at a bargain on the Nexus S, now's your chance - Mobile Daily Steals is offering this beauty (unlocked) for just $299.99 with an international warranty, about $60 lower than Amazon's lowest price (without warranty).

For those who may be out of the loop, here are some of the Nexus S's specs:

4" 480x800 Super AMOLED display
1GHz Hummingbird processor
512 RAM
16GB on-board storage
5MP rear camera, and a VGA front-shooter
Stock Android 2.3.5

It may not pack the latest-and-greatest technology under the hood, but as far as unlocked Android phones that pack a nice punch, the Nexus S is a great option, and it can be yours for just $299.99, if you act in the next 22 hours.

Oct

Ice Cream Sandwich Coming To Nexus S And Possibly All Gingerbread Devices

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju)

Engadget managed to get some face time with Google's Gabe Cohen and he has confirmed that Ice Cream Sandwich will definitely be coming to the Nexus S. According to Engadget, both he and Matias Duarte are of the opinion that most Gingerbread devices (e.g. the Samsung Galaxy SII) will receive the upgrade.

They said that Google is "currently in the process for releasing Ice Cream Sandwich for Nexus S" and that in theory it "should work for any 2.3 device."

Unfortunately, there is no word yet on when ICS would be coming to the Android 2.3 devices and there is also no clear plan on whether ICS will ever come to older devices such as the Nexus One.

Oct

[Updated] Want Google Wallet On Your T-Mobile Or AT&T Nexus S? Flash This Mod, Courtesy Of XDA

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Development, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju)

A couple of weeks ago, the whole tech world was abuzz with the official launch of Google Wallet, a revolutionary new service that looks to replace your tired old credit cards in lieu of your Android-powered smartphone. As great as that sounds, there is one small problem: it's only officially available on one device - the Nexus S 4G on Sprint.

While NFC hasn't been widely adopted in the smartphone market yet, the NS4G wasn't even the first device to pack the appropriate hardware -- it was actually T-Mobile's Nexus S (which is the same as AT&T's Nexus S).

Sep

Nexus S 2.3.6 Update Is Nuking All Cellular Connectivity On Some Phones, Possible Fixes Inside

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, AT&T, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), T-Mobile

If you've downloaded or had the Android 2.3.6 update pushed to your AT&T, T-Mobile, or unlocked Nexus S recently without issue, consider yourself lucky. None of this applies to the Nexus S 4G on the Sprint network.

While we reported that the update was breaking Wi-Fi and USB tethering initially, it seems something much, much worse is happening to some users who have received 2.3.6 OTA.

If you check out this Google thread, you'll see a number of poor souls have had all cellular connectivity stripped from their devices after updating. The easiest solution so far? Roll back to Android 2.3.4 (or earlier), which almost inevitably requires a full wipe of the device.

Sep

New Nexus S 2.3.6 OTA Update Rolling Out (GRK39F), Reportedly Fixes Tethering - Here Is How To Install It Manually

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Gingerbread 2.3, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung, T-Mobile

A few weeks ago, a GSM Nexus S update 2.3.6 (GRK39C) with voice search fixes started rolling out, but it was immediately discovered to break Wi-Fi and USB tethering. After many complaints, Google pulled the OTA, and it seems like they've spent the last couple of weeks making sure everything works as expected.

A new update surfaced tonight, also numbered 2.3.6, but this time bearing build GRK39F. While there is no official changelog, based on the fact that an update with the same exact build hit the Nexus One a few days ago and didn't break tethering, I think it's safe to say it fixes at least that issue (Update: thanks to our buddy Omar for an additional confirmation of working tethering).

Sep

[Update: It's Breaking Wi-Fi And USB Tethering] Google Pushing Android 2.3.6 To The Nexus S, Finally Addresses The Voice Search Bug

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju)

Last Updated: September 26th, 2011

Update: It looks like in order to fix one thing, you have to break something else. Reports are pouring in that this update breaks Wi-Fi and USB-tethering. Stay tuned for more details.

Owners of the Nexus S have been plagued by a notorious bug that activates Voice Search at random times, causing some serious interference when trying to accomplish even the most simple of tasks. Fortunately, El Goog has stepped up to the plate and addressed the issue, as an OTA update is currently rolling out that will put a stop to this annoying quirk.

The fix should be hitting devices all over the US and Canada, so keep an eye out for it to land on your device shortly.

Aug

Reminder: Nexus S Free (With New Two-Year Agreement) At Best Buy In All Three Flavors - Today Only

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g)

You've probably been seeing this deal all over the net for the past couple of days, but we still want to make sure that you don't miss out on it. For today only, you can head over to your local Best Buy and grab some stock-Android goodness for absolutely nothing. The best part? This deal is good for any of the three applicable carriers - 3G on T-Mobile or AT&T, or the 4G variant on Sprint.

Need a reminder on the specs of this device? Here you go:

4 inch 480*800 Super AMOLED display
1GHz Hummingbird processor
512MB RAM
16GB built-in storage
5MP rear camera, VGA front
Stock Android 2.3.5
4G WiMax on Sprint

In a world of dual-core devices, the Nexus S is still in a class of its own, thanks to its pure vanilla Android nature.

Aug

[Deal Alert] Unlocked Samsung Nexus S i9020T For $350 From Daily Steals

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju)

In a world of dual-core superphones, there is still one single-core device that manages to stand its ground: the Samsung Nexus S. Thanks to its stock Android nature, the Nexus S is still one of the best Android phones on the market, and if you're looking to pick one up off-contract, then here's the deal for you. You can grab an unlocked version of the NS for a mere $350 -- that's fifty-percent off the retail price.

Here's what $350 worth of pure Google device gets you:

4 Inch 480*800 Super AMOLED display
1GHz Hummingbird processor
512 RAM
16GB on-board storage
5MP rear camera, VGA 'round front
Stock Android 2.3.5

To avoid any confusion, it's worth mentioning that this is an unlocked GSM version of the phone that runs on T-Mobile's network, not Sprint's 4G version.

Jul

The 5 Best Android Phones Under $60 (US Only) - July 2011

Posted by David Ruddock in Deals, Droid 3, Droid X2, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Revolution, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

I know, I know. The last one was under $50, and preferably free. But in our attempt to keep you updated with the latest and greatest deals on the latest and greatest devices, we had to make sacrifices. Fortunately, that means there are also no repeat appearances from last month's post, though you should still check it out - a lot of those handsets (aside from the DROID 2) are still viable choices.

So, you get a fresh batch of deals, on a fresh set of phones. Oh, 4 of the 5 are for Verizon - and AT&T and T-Mobile are left out of this month's roundup (though the $50 Infuse deal at Target gets an honorable mention).